


The Friendly Merman

by JaneyKatherineHummingbird



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fem! Bones, Genderswap, Getting back to McKirk, i love Mer! Jim, merman au, yet another one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:30:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9911348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneyKatherineHummingbird/pseuds/JaneyKatherineHummingbird
Summary: The story of how Leah McCoy and her daughter Joanna got to know a delightful sea creature who goes by the name Jim.





	1. He's Real!

**Author's Note:**

> Here I go with more McKirk at last! Seems my brain is really in the mood to write Fem! Bones.

It all started because Joanna McCoy had a thing for mermaids and dragged her mother down to the beach to try to find one. Leah obliged her despite knowing how rare the species was and the likelihood of actually seeing one was slim to none. A day at the beach would be a nice break from the hospital stress and would give them some fun mother-daughter time. But she did warn Jo gently.

"Honey, remember not to get your hopes up too far. They haven't been seen around these parts for three years." 

"I know, Mom," Jo sighed. "But Mr. Spock said this was the best place and time of year for finding one. They go past here on their migration, he said. Sometimes they come close to shore to rest." 

"What would you do if you saw one?" Leah asked. 

"Try not to scream and scare it, watch it as long as I could," Joanna claimed. 

"Easier said than done." Leah said knowingly. But she donned beachwear and sunscreen and brought her excited eight year old to the requested beach, with strict instructions NOT to stray out of her sight or talk to strange grown-ups. 

Joanna took her binoculars and and began her vigil, while Leah settled in with a book, pleased to be able to do some light reading. The sun felt so good after being under fluorescent lights all the time at the hospital. 

For a while, all they saw were seabirds and the occasional spout from a far away whale. Joanna took an occasional break to dip her toes in the ocean, but always returned to her vigilant search for mermaids.

"Mommy, there's a guy that just fell out of the water!! He's not moving!!" Joanna cried. "He looks hurt!" 

Leah was up in a flash and looking through the binoculars in the direction Jo pointed. Alarm spread through her at the sight of a man's torso sprawled on the beach, lower half still in the water. Even from this distance she could see red clouding the water around him.

"You're right, honey. He is hurt. I'm going to go check. Stay right here until I say it's safe, alright? He could have been attacked by something in the water."

Joanna nodded and Leah picked up her beach towel to use in case he was bleeding badly. Their wasn't anything else on hand. 

She knelt beside the man and felt for a pulse. It was there, thankfully, but the young man had some rather nasty gashes in his sides and was bruised badly over his pale skin. She carefully pulled him forward to get him out of the water and nearly dropped him in surprise when she saw his lower body was a tail, with fins!! 

He was clearly a Merman, and a beautiful one at that. The irredescent blue scaled tail gave way to a lithe and muscular upper body and a head of wet brown hair and fine facial features. His throat had angry red marks around it, like someone had been choking him.

Knowing enough about Mermen from Spock and Uhura's discussions, She was careful to keep him on the wet sand so he didn't dry out.

Behind her, Joanna gasped.  
"Mommy, it's a merman!!! Can I see?" 

"Okay, but don't get to close. We don't want to scare him. I should call Spock and Uhura. They'll know how to treat his....fish half." Spock and Uhura worked with sea life, and they'd seen hurt Merfolk before, so she knew they'd know what to do for him.

Joanna crept cautiously closer and stared at the Merman, who was beginning to stir. 

"His tail is so pretty!!" She whispered in awe. "Look! He has pointy ears like Mr. Spock!!"

He did indeed, though the points were almost translucent and more fragile looking, fitting with his ocean life. 

Leah started when a pair of intensely vivid blue eyes suddenly stared up at her.

"Hey, easy there. I'm not going to hurt you," she soothed the nervous creature, who tried to wiggle back into the sea, but stopped with a groan of pain. He looked up at her fearfully, but curiously. She gently pressed the towel on his bleeding shoulder, which had been aggravated when he tried to move.

"Can you understand me, kid?" She asked. 

A stream of squeaky sounding language came from his mouth before he caught himself and spoke in slow Standard.

"Yes. I know people-ish. Please don't put me in a cage." He looked scared again.

"I will do no such thing," Leah assured him. "I'm going to make sure you don't bleed out and then call my marine biologist friends to look you over. You don't look like you're in any shape for swimming right now. Can you tell me what happened?" 

"I got in a fight with some sirens and then a shark smelled blood and tried to snack on me," the Merman said ruefully. 

"Oh, no!" Gasped Joanna. "Did he bite you?"

Their new friend looked inquisitively at Joanna. 

"That's Joanna, my daughter," Leah explained. "She's been wanting to meet a mermaid or man for a long time." 

"Hi, young human," the man smiled. "You can call me Jim. I'm afraid he nipped my shoulder, which is why it's bleeding so much." 

"Mommy's a doctor and she can fix you up," Joanna assured him. "She's really good."

"Oh, a sawbones, huh?" Jim said, eyes twinkling up at Leah. "That's what we call them among the Mer. Pleased to meet you, Dr....."

"McCoy. Dr. Leah McCoy," she supplied, amazed at Jim's huge grin even with a black eye and many bruises. 

Well, he was certainly a friendly Merman, that was clear.

"Jim, are you hurt anywhere else?" Leah asked him.

"My lower tail," he said, grimacing again as he moved the appendage about. "Think it got stabbed by a siren spear. Those guys are vicious." 

He muttered something under his breath in his Mer language that sounded rather awful, like a curse.

"Okay," Leah said slowly. "You stay right here while I call my friends to come look at it. Joanna, hold the towel on his shoulder like this." 

Obediently, Joanna knelt by the Merman and took charge of the towel, eyes round as she stared at Jim's tail again.


	2. Spock and Uhura to the Rescue

Leah got in touch with Spock, who promised to arrive swiftly to look over the Merman. 

"If he is unable to swim, we will transport him to the sanctuary for healing rather than leave him vulnerable to further attack," the Vulcan said. "Does he understand Standard?" 

"Yeah," Leah confirmed. "Speaks it pretty well, too."

"Then you can prepare him for the possibility of being moved and perhaps it will be less traumatic for him. I will summon Nyota and be on my way." 

"Thanks, Spock." 

She ended the call and returned to Jim and Joanna, who was busily questioning the Merman.

"Why do you have that skin between your fingers?" 

"Oh, that's webbing," Jim said, holding up his uninjured hand and spreading it open. Leah saw with a start there was green skin connecting his fingers. 

"It helps me swim better and catch food. Little _grum_ \--I mean fish, can't escape when I snatch them." 

"Whoa," Joanna breathed.  
"And What are sirens?"

"They're a lot like us Mer folk only wilder and meaner. They really don't like humans, and they try to lure them into jumping off ships. Our people don't get along very well."

"Well, that's plain to see," Leah broke in. "You're beat black and blue!!" 

Jim grinned painfully. "As the humans say, you should see the other guy." 

"Well, Jim, help is on the way. The specialists are coming to see you. Now, don't be alarmed, but you might have to be taken to the marine rehab center until you can swim freely again." 

At his sudden tension, she hastened to soothe him, laying a calming hand on the bare arm. 

"You won't be put in a cage, but have a nice big tank with other recovering mers and you'll be released once you're back to normal." 

"Oh," Jim sighed. "That doesn't sound too bad. Will you come see me?" 

"Course I will, Jim." Leah assured him. 

Minutes later, Spock and Uhura arrived along with their assistants and equipment. Jim clutched Leah's arm nervously, tail fin twitching uneasily. 

Uhura came forward slowly and spoke to Jim in his own language. He looked surprised, but perked up and started chattering back. Leah was amazed.

"When did she learn mermish?" She asked Spock.

"She has been studying the language over the course of the last four years. It is a very challenging one, but she thought it would be beneficial in our work with the species." He frowned.  
"He appears to have an injury to his tail."

Meanwhile, Jim was pointing out his wounds to Uhura and had drawn his tail completely out of the water, exposing a bloody spot near the base. Leah couldn't help but be fascinated by the length and color and beauty of it, despite her worry for Jim's well-being.

Spock began to get first aid supplies from his kit and lay them out while Uhura explained to Jim what was going on. After a few minutes, Spock was given the all clear to approach Jim.

"Greetings. I am Spock. Will you allow me to tend to your wounds?" 

"Sure," Jim said weakly. He was looking worse now and Leah was very concerned. She and Spock worked quickly to stop the bleeding and bandage the shoulder and tail. 

"Hey......you look....different from the other humans. Do you come from another...species?" Jim whispered curiously. 

"I am half Vulcan. It is a species not native to this planet."

Jim's eyes widened. "You're from another planet?"

"I resided on Vulcan for my childhood and moved to earth as an adult. Given that it is a desert planet, it would have been impossible to study ocean life there."

"Yeah. It was really all dry? No oceans anywhere?"

"None, Jim." 

"Wow. I can't even imagine that.  
No tasty salmon or tuna. How do you survive?" 

"We have a plant based diet, Jim. It fulfills our nutritional requirements adequately." Spock said good-naturedly. The Merman pondered this as Spock and Leah checked him over for any missed injuries. 

After much soothing and coaxing, Jim was carefully hoisted onto a special stretcher to be driven by van to the rehab center. He refused to let go of Leah's hand until the last possible second. 

"Will you come see me, Bones?" He pleaded. "I feel safe with you." 

"Yeah, I'll come see you, Jim," she promised. "But you WILL be safe with Spock and Uhura, too." 

At last he was secured in the vehicle and Spock drove away slowly. 

Joanna came up beside Leah and watched the departing van anxiously.

"He's a really nice Merman. I hope he'll be okay." 

"Me too, honey," Leah murmured.


	3. About Jim

In spite of his fears at being caged, Jim found the rehab center fascinating. His wounds were looked after carefully by the humans and he was assigned a special cot for the first few days that would allow his tail to heal, while keeping it wet. Despite his boredom and frustration at being unable to swim, he was soon caught up in the bustling activity going on around him. There were several other merpeople on similar cots near Jim and many others slowly swimming in a large tank along with dolphins, rays, and various other sea creatures. His damaged tail and fins were carefully tended by humans very unlike the rough ones Jim had heard tales of. He was fed rather nicely, with a young lad bringing around a bucket of fresh fish for the Mer's meals. 

The day after his arrival, the nice human doctor who'd first helped him after he'd washed up on the shore came to visit him, bearing a bag that contained some strange devices. 

"Hiya, Jim, how do you like your temporary home?" She stopped beside his cot and looked him over, greenish brown eyes inspecting his bandaged shoulder. 

"Hello, Bones!" He said, happy to see her. "It is a much better place than I thought." 

"Good, good. I thought you'd like it. Now, Jim, I'm going to need you to be brave for me. I'm going to use this device to help heal your cuts and bruises and it might hurt a bit at first, but it's going to help mend you." She held up a funny looking device.

Jim looked at it askance, wondering what terrible magic humans had, then decided it didn't look big enough to vaporize him after all. 

"Okay. Go ahead," he said at last and Dr. McCoy began to undo his bandage. 

_"Urky!"_ he squeaked in surprise as he watched his skin knit back together under the whirring of the magic thing. It only hurt a little bit, but the pulling sensation was weird. 

"No, it's not magic, young one," said the old grey-haired Mer in the cot next to him. "Humans have developed these things on their own. It's called a regenerator." 

"Re-gen-er-a-tor" Jim sounded out slowly, pondering the human's complicated language. 

The doctor smiled at him. "Very good, Jim. You're doing great. Only a few more minutes left." 

Soon enough, she turned off the device and Jim looked in amazement at his now healed shoulder. 

"Bones....it's amazing! You fixed it!!"

"Yep. Now be careful how you use it for a few days. The new skin's still tender." Jim carefully ran his hand over the spot, feeling the smooth new skin. He was more fascinated than ever with the humans. 

"How's your tail comin?" She asked after she'd checked out his other bruises and fixed the worst of them as well. 

"Spock says it'll be a week before I can swim with it," Jim said sadly, flopping his fin a bit. "It's kind of frustrating, seeing that big beautiful tank and not being able to explore it." He looked longingly toward the glass wall behind which several mermaids could be seen frolicking in the water. Leah glanced towards it and chuckled.

"It appears those gals are eager to make your acquaintance as well. The red-haired one keeps blowing kisses at you." 

Jim's face grew warm at that. Yeah, they definitely had flirted with him more than a few times already. While they were pretty, he liked Bones better. 

She had a gruff, but gentle way about her and had nothing but honesty in her treatment of him.

"Well, now that you're all set for the time being, why don't you tell me how you got in a fight with those Sirens." 

Jim sighed. "Well, they like to taunt me about my father. He died right after I was spawned fighting off an attack by their evil leader Nero."

The old mer started playing close attention for some reason. 

"I was minding my own business, following a school of cod when they swam by and started yelling insults. 

""Son of failure!! You pathetic little mer!!"" They yelled, along with dreadful words I won't tell you. Now, I wasn't going to put up with hearing my father called a failure, or me pathetic, so I fought them." Jim crossed his arms and frowned. "That might have been a mistake. It was four against one. Turned out the shark attack helped save me from being beaten worse." 

"I don't know about that, Jim. You could have bled to death from those wounds. Good thing Jo dragged me out to that beach wanting to see merpeople. Who knows when someone would have come along?" 

"I didn't know how bad it was," Jim admitted. "I only knew I needed to get to shore fast. I'm so glad you were there."

"So was I," Leah said, and smiled at him. What was it the humans called the creases around their mouths when they made that expression? He wracked his brain, but couldn't remember. 

"You met any of the other mer, yet? You seem like the sociable type," the doctor asked while packing up her equipment. 

"A few," Jim said. "I haven't talked to this elder yet," (he gestured to his neighbor) "but that young man with the grey tail is Pavel and the wiggly one with the red-brown tail goes by Scotty. All the rest are in the tank, so I can't talk to them yet. I don't think Pavel knows your kind of people-ish. He just came from Russia." 

The Russian mer in question had a rather cherubic appearance, with wild curly hair around his youthful face. His lean body showed signs of malnourishment and exhaustion and he dozed most of the time in his cot. Leah guessed the trip from Russia had been very grueling for the kid.

Scotty, on the other hand, was quite alert and deep in concentration on toying with a pile of clamshells he'd been given to occupy himself with. His left arm was in a sling, but otherwise he looked quite healthy. 

"He keeps trying to take everything apart and figure out how it works, so they gave him those to distract him," Jim explained.

Scotty looked up and grinned at Leah, chattering away in Mermish.

"He wants to know where I found the pretty human visitor," Jim translated. "And if you can fix him with your device."

"What did he do to his arm? Doesn't look broken."

More chattering came from the mers and Jim reported "he knocked it out of its socket. They put it back, but he has to wear the sling for awhile."

"Ouch." Leah said sympathetically. Dislocated arms were extremely painful, especially to put back. "Tell him he doesn't need a regenerator, but I'll show him how my tricorder works, if he promises not to touch."

She ended up running her tricorder over the Scottish mer while he chattered away to Jim excitedly and squeaked with delight when she showed him his insides. When he'd looked his fill, she went back over to Jim and the older merman.

"So Jim, do you travel in family groups or are you a loner? Spock says you guys migrate past here."

"Some of us do. I don't really have a pod anymore so I tend to just follow at the edges of others for migration trips. This year, I decided to stay here. Didn't know the sirens moved in here when we leave. Guess I won't be staying back again." 

Jim let out a sad sigh. He wished he could find a pod to belong to, but with his unfortunate history and well-known family, other pods saw him as bad luck.

"Well, Spock and his researchers will find a safe place for you when you're ready to go back to the ocean," Bones told him. "We don't want you getting torn to shreds. Goodness knows how you survived with all the danger and disease down there." She shuddered.

"I rely on my wits, speed, and muscles," he told her, flexing one arm and grinning. "Don't I look like a fabulous specimen?" 

His neighbor snorted again. Bones laughed. 

"Well, Joanna thinks you are. I promised to bring her around to visit you tomorrow." 

"That is pleasing, Bones! She's a delightful little human." 

"Glad you think so, Jim. You behave yourself, okay? I'll be back tomorrow."

"Alright, Bones. I'll try." He sighed, accepting her friendly handshake. She had strong, slender fingers that he imagined were perfect for doctoring and surgery. She waved at every mer in the room as she walked out, leaving behind much interest and mer gossip about the young one's pretty friend. Jim decided he might as well get to know his neighbor to pass the time before their dinner.


	4. Of New Friends And Pods

Jim became more acquainted with his fellow mer patients while looking forward to Bones's next visit. The young Russian mer finally woke up and started looking around and asked where he was in halting standard Mermish. 

"Laddie, you're in the sea life rehab center until you've put a little meat on those bones. They take very good care of us here," Scotty informed him, between munching on a fat trout. 

"Who are you, sir?" The pale young man asked.

"Montgomery Scott, but everyone calls me Scotty and this dashing fellow is Jim Kirk." He nodded in Jim's direction. 

The older mer spoke up at last. "I'm Chris Pike. Pleased to meet you." 

"Call me Jim," said Kirk. "I've been wondering when he would ever say anything. He just looks at everyone knowingly and it gives me the _crickrom_.*

Pavel grinned faintly. "It is the look of a wise elder who has seen all and knows much. He is assessing us." 

"Hmmm." said Jim, eying the elder curiously, noting that he was very hairy on his chest compared to Jim. He hadn't known any mer with that much fur before. Curious. 

"You remind me of someone I used to know Jim," Pike admitted. "You wouldn't happen to hail from the Kirk clan would you?"

Jim looked suspiciously at the greying mer, but he didn't look like he shared in the superstitious attitude towards his family so he nodded.

"Yep. I am. Son of George, but don't spread it around. Most folks in these parts see us as bad luck, seeing as how the men always die tragically young, going back to my great-great-grandsire." 

"That's pure eel-talk*, Jim. Sure your line has had a rough go, but that doesn't mean you should be excluded the way you have and it certainly didn't mean you'd bring misfortune to others. George would have been very disappointed with how you've been treated."

"How would you know? Did you know him?" Jim asked, trying not to be resentful. He always envied people who'd known his father, never having met the mer himself.

"I did. Our pods were friendly and we tended to migrate together and join forces on hunts. George was a lively guy and one of the nicest mermen I've known. You definitely take after him." 

"Yeah. Much good has it ever done me." Jim muttered. "No pod would ever have me."

"Maybe you can make your own, Jim. Ever thought of that?" Pike suggested.

"I haven't met a mer who wasn't already in one," Jim shrugged.

"Now you have." The old mer said quietly holding his gaze. "Injured my spine last full moon and I can't keep up anymore, so I'm on my own now." 

"Abandoned?" It was a sad fact of life that older, or severely injured mers who couldn't swim well were often left behind or removed themselves so as not to endanger the whole pod by slowing them down. Jim had seen plenty of dead mers floating in sea caves where they'd crawled to live out the rest of their lives.

"Left voluntarily." Pike said. "Spock found me about a mile from here and brought me in. He's a good guy and this place is very impressive."

"It is, indeed!" Put in Scotty. "And yer not the only podless mer around here. I'm a loner as well."

"Because you got hurt?" Jim asked.

"I caused too much trouble with my experiments. I like to tinker with human wrecks and garbage and the chieftains didn't like that and booted me out." 

"Yeah. A lot of mers don't like it when one of their own associates with humans," Jim noted. "But when you meet my friend Bones, you'll see the nicest human ever." he swished his tail fin in excitement. 

Pike smiled at him. "I'll back you up on that, Jim. Dr. McCoy is a very fine human." 

"So what about you, laddie?" Scotty asked the Russian. "Got a pod hunting for you?"

Chekov shook his head sadly. "No. They are dead. The plague was killing them and I was told to flee before I was infected." 

Jim felt sympathy for the young mer. What a terrible journey that must have been, leaving your home and knowing you could never return and if you did, everyone you knew would likely be dead. Maybe he'd take Pike's advice and start a new pod. Scotty and Chekov seemed like good mers. 

He was distracted by the arrival of his friend Bones and her little---(what did they call female young again? Daughter?)--offspring, Joanna. Jim sat up straighter and waved delightedly. "Bones! You came back!!" 

Bones smiled at him, still dressed in what he took to be a doctor's uniform, which meant she'd probably come right from work. 

"Hi, Jim, you're looking perky today. Feeling better?" She and Jo came up to Jim's cot and looked in on him, Jo looking around wide-eyed at the other mers around the room.

"Yes, I am," Jim informed her, showing her how he could move his shoulder freely again. 

"My tail is still healing, but my shoulder's all better thanks to you." 

"Good," she said approvingly. 

"Hi, Mr. Jim," greeted Joanna shyly. "Did you make some new friends?" 

"I sure did, Joanna," he answered brightly,  
and proceeded to introduce them to his new acquaintances. Joanna was completely charmed by Pavel and Scotty and soon was over by their cots asking questions like crazy. 

"She's really crazy about mermen, Jim," the doctor said fondly. "This is like paradise to her, so many of you in one room."

Jim grinned. "Glad we could make her happy. She's a nice girl. I haven't seen a young one of either human or mer in a long time. Nobody wants me near their spawn for fear I'll curse them." 

"Really? That's despicable, Jim. Superstition is a terrible prison--traps people in needless fear and prejudice."

"What is pre-ju-dice?" Jim queried, not having learned that word yet. So Leah patiently explained it to him and he frowned. Oh, he had indeed known many prejudiced mers and sirens in his day. They hated each other with a passion, often with no reason. 

"I think that was why those sirens attacked me," Jim said thoughtfully. "They think mer are weak and stupid."

Leah nodded sadly, short brown hair bobbing along. Jim wondered what made it so sleek and shiny. He thought it was very pretty, the way it stopped at her chin and framed her face. 

"Watcha starin' at, Jim?" She asked, having caught him looking.

"You. Your have pretty hair, Bones."

Bones looked surprised and turned a little pink. 

"That's sweet of you, Jim. I try to keep it tame for work to be professional. Off duty, though, it gets kind of messy, which is why I got it cut short after the divorce. Didn't have time to mess with it anymore."

"Well, it looks nice," he shrugged, then frowned. "What is a divorce? I heard that word from other humans and it seems to be something bad." 

So she told him what it was and how her ex-mate had cheated on her with another woman and she'd had to end the marriage. This made Jim angry and sad. He muttered a mermish curse at the name of this wicked Jack human who had hurt Leah. 

"That's terrible, Bones. Who would ever want to do such a thing to you and Miss Joanna?" 

"It was a mess, Jim," she admitted. "I'm thankful I got custody of Jo. I don't know what I'd do without her. She's the light of my life." 

She smiled at her daughter, who was now waving and giggling at the mermaids in the tank, who were busy charming her with their antics. 

"I can see why," Jim said softly. Joanna seemed to be a happy, loving girl and he could see how she'd be a great comfort for Bones.

All too soon, it was time for mer therapy and feeding and the doctor excused herself, citing the need to get Joanna home for supper.

"I'll be back in a few days, Jim. I'm working long shifts to cover for my co-worker. Try not to miss me too much." 

Jim gave a lopsided grin at the teasing. 

"I'll try not to pine away, Bones. Be safe."

"Bye, Jim." She ruffled his hair gently and Jim sighed.

"Bye, Mr. Jim!!" Said Joanna, with a wave. "Bye Mr. Pike! Bye, Mr. Pavel!! Bye Mr. Scotty!!" 

All the mermen waved back as the bouncing young lady was escorted from the premises by her mother. 

"She's a sweetheart." Pike commented after they were gone.

"That she is," Jim agreed, thinking also of Bones and how he'd make the long hours pass until she came again.

 

 

 

Crickrom--my pretend mermish word for discomfort or "the creeps"

eel-talk= mer slang for nonsense, because in my sea world headcanon eels are known for being notorious liars


	5. More New Friends

Luckily for Jim, he was declared fit for swimming before he could go crazy from boredom or make any foolhardy escape attempts.

Spock and Uhura helped pick him up and carry him to the tank, the excited Merman's tail twitching with eagerness to get in the water. 

"Make sure you tell Bones where I am, so she doesn't worry," he chattered  
in mermish. "She's coming to visit again in two sunrises." 

"I'll tell her," Uhura assured him. "She'll be happy to know you're getting better enough to swim again. Good job being patient and letting it heal." 

Jim slid into the water with a squeak of relief, cautiously swimming around slowly while his eyes adjusted to the dim light. It wasn't the ocean, but it wasn't too bad either. He investigated its boundaries and found it was nearly seventy tail lengths long and twenty deep, capable of providing sufficient room for mer exercise as well as some dolphins, rays and octopuses.

"Finally! We get to meet the cute newcomer!" exclaimed the red-haired mermaid he'd seen watching him earlier.

"He's almost too pretty to be real!!" Said a blonde mer beside her. 

Jim blushed. He wasn't used to being looked at by other mers with interest rather than fear and disgust. 

"Hi! I'm Gaila!! Where do you come from, handsome?"

"The coastal waters," Jim replied. "I'm Jim. Pleased to meet you." 

"And I'm Carol," offered the blonde. "I'm glad to see your tail is healing well. What happened to tear it up so badly?"

"Attacked by sirens," Jim said, investigating a rock formation. 

"How terrible," shuddered Gaila. "But they don't usually attack a pod. Didn't your podmates defend you?" 

"I don't really have any," Jim said. "I'm of the Kirk clan and most mers think we're cursed."

"Why?" his tank mate asked. "You don't look cursed to me." She eyed him appreciatively and Jim looked away.

"It's because the men in my line all seem to meet unfortunate ends at an all too early age. My father died young as did my grandsire and great-grandsire." 

"That is sad, Jim, but that doesn't mean you will, too," Gaila encouraged. "Maybe you're destined to live to 130 winters!!!" 

"Yeah. If you were really so cursed, you would have died before the humans found you and brought you here," added Carol. "Come, let us show you around." 

Jim consented to be given a tour of the tank and found it quite surprising. There were a number of artificial rock formations that made cozy hiding/sleeping areas and large patches of seaweed scattered about. All in all, not a bad place to pass the weeks before they deemed him fit to return to the wild. The only problem was how he'd communicate to Bones here. Humans couldn't hear through water very well. 

"Go around to the other end where they drop in our meals and it gets shallow enough so you can talk to the human over the wall," Carol told him. "You seem to like her a lot, James. I saw how you cheered up when she and her young visited you." 

"Bones helped save my life. Of course, I like her!" Jim said.

"And The fact that she's pretty doesn't hurt at all, either," teased Gaila, causing Jim to scowl and swim away, staring at a large ray snoozing under the sand at the bottom of the tank. 

Carol rolled her eyes.

"Don't let Gaila's teasing bother you. She does this all the time and has no room to talk because I've seen her trying to flirt hard with that Scottish mer out there."

"Carol!" Exclaimed Gaila rebukingly. 

"If you're going to give Jim a hard time, I had to even the playing field," the blonde mermaid said smugly.

Jim grinned again. 

"Montgomery Scott is his name, by the way. He goes by Scotty. Nice guy."

Gaila perked up at this and followed Jim to the wall that faced the cots. 

"Tell me more!" She begged eagerly. "When will he be able to join us? How was he hurt?" 

"Dislocated his shoulder," Jim said. "They've fixed it, but Bones said he probably won't be allowed to swim for another week yet."

"Why do you call her Bones?" Asked Carol while Gaila pondered the information Jim had given her.

"Because she grumbles about her "old Bones" a lot," Jim said. "It doesn't make sense since she's not old. Only a few earth cycles older than me." 

"What happened to her mate? She must have had one to produce young."

"He abandoned her and unbonded in the human way that they call divorce." Jim's face grew dark thinking about the presumably wicked Jack, who had hurt Bones.

"And she didn't die of bond sickness?" Gasped Carol. 

"No. From what Spock told me, humans don't have mental connections, which makes it easier to change or get rid of mates. I don't envy them. If I ever do have a mate, I want it to be for life." 

Jim looked far away, thinking that the chances of that happening were very small. Few mermaids would want him to father their children, let alone the risk of bonding to someone who was so likely to die young and inadvertently cause his mate's death from the bond sickness.

Carol squeezed his hand sympathetically. 

"I know how you feel, Jim. My father betrayed our pod and joined a group of Sirens that tried to take over the oceans. They see our lines as tainted and marked me as unbondable."

Jim stared in horror. Being marked unbondable was most mer's fear. It basically rendered them incapable of taking a permanent mate. 

"That's terrible!"

"I've got used to it," she sighed. "Thankfully, It doesn't prevent me from making friends. Gaila is an absolute riot and we've had fun watching the various mer come and go."

"Well, If I start my own new pod, you're definitely welcome in it," Jim said. "Scotty and Chekov (that's the young Russian mer with curly hair) have already asked to join. They both lost their pods, too." 

"You're so kind, Jim," Carol smiled. "That's a great idea, starting a new pod from all us misfits and castoffs. What about the nice elder out there?" She asked. "He's been here for a long time." 

Jim looked at Pike wistfully. "I'd like him to be in it, but with his spine injury, he might not be able to travel anymore. We'll have to wait and see." 

Gaila was now swishing back to them, cheeks very pink.

"You will let me in your pod won't you, Jimmy?" 

"Of course." Jim became so absorbed in making plans as he circled his new habitations, he forgot all about his "curse".


	6. The Stirrings of Attraction

Leah returned to the center two days later to find Jim's cot occupied by a large merman with jellyfish burns covering his arms. 

"Where's Jim, Chris?" She called to Pike.

"He's in the tank, Dr. McCoy. They moved him a couple days ago. Seems to be getting along fine."

Her eyes darted toward the glass wall behind which a school of fish were darting to and fro and the red-haired mermaid was watching intently, seeing Leah, she darted away. 

"Did I scare her?" She asked worriedly, stepping back.

"Oh, no. She's gone to tell Jim you're here. The boy's so excited for your visit." 

Right on cue, Jim appeared in front of her, beaming and waving with his big webbed hand. He looked wonderfully at home in the water and she noticed he didn't appear to be favoring his shoulder at all, which was very good.

"Hi, Jim!" She said, not knowing if he'd hear her or not. Jim mouthed something back at her that looked like "Hello, Bones!"

Jim started pointing and gesturing in the other direction and Leah was rather puzzled until Pike explained about the shallow end being easier for human/mer communication. 

With a little guidance from Uhura, Leah made her way to the opposite end of the pool and shortly Jim could be seen, golden skin and blue tail flying through the water. He surfaced at the shallows and sat up, dripping with water and huffing happily. 

_What a gorgeous sight_ , she thought to herself, trying not to ogle Jim's very toned torso. That was the last thing she should be doing--lusting after a sea creature! 

“How's it goin’ Jim?” She greeted him as casually as she could. 

“Great, Bones,” he answered. “How's doctoring?”

“It's been rough this week.” She admitted heavily. “Seemed like every other case ended up being beyond help. Glad to see you swimming around again. Pretty soon you’ll be back in your ocean home!”

Jim didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic about this as she’d imagined and he shrugged, refusing to let her deflect from her issues. 

“I’m sorry about that, Bones. I remember the old Mer doctor Puri always took it really hard when he lost someone, even though he’d done everything he could for the patient.” 

“Sometimes, we forget we’re not infallible,” Leah told him. “Medicine has come a long way, but if you wait too long to get to a hospital, there’s not much we can do, and that’s frustrating. I take it each pod has a doctor that travels with them?”

“Most do,” Jim confirmed. “Some set up dwellings in one location where anybody can come to them, but I didn’t know where to go when I got hurt because there weren’t any loner docs nearby and no pod doc would see me. It was an incredible stroke of luck that you were on that beach when I washed up.”

“Luck-- Or Joanna’s persistent begging to see Merpeople. I finally went out there just to humor her.” 

“She didn’t come with you today, though,” Jim observed. “Is she well?”

“Yes, she’s at her grandparents for the weekend. She said to say hi. You’re all she talks about right now.”

Jim smiled. His iridescent blue scales glimmered in the lights, giving him a sparkly look on his tail as he lounged in the water. Leah could see why people were lured to do foolhardy things when they saw a mer. They were beautiful creatures.

“Tell me about human life, Bones. What’s it like as a two-leg? The books we have on humans aren’t very helpful. They mostly warn us to stay away and tell how awful your kind treats us. That’s clearly not all true.”

“True. Like merpeople, there are good people who love the sea and want to take care of it and it's life, and others who are greedy and careless. That's the type that would put you on display somewhere and dump trash in the ocean.” 

Jim shuddered. “I'm glad you're not that type.”

“Me too. I like having a soul,” Leah said. At Jim's puzzled look, she explained it was just a saying and moved on to explain to him human lifestyle, diet, and habitations. 

Jim was fascinated and peppered her with questions until she absolutely had to leave. 

“I'll be back again soon, Jim. I'm sure Uhura and Spock can help you with the information you want.”

“Okay, but they're not nearly as interesting as you are, Bones,” he told her, with a crooked smile that made her heart do a flip. 

“Oh, Jim, I don't know why you think I hung the moon. I'm just a grumpy doctor trying to raise my little girl as best I can. I’ll be back, don't you fret you're pretty tail off.” 

Jim thought she sold herself short. In his eyes, she was the most amazing human he'd ever met. He laid back in the water and watched as she walked away, heaving a sigh when he couldn't see her anymore. He slipped back underwater and swam slowly back to the girls, thinking of her pretty green/brown eyes and the slight drawl in her voice when she told him about Georgia and her life there. 

“Jimmy, I think you're in love!” Said Gaila in a sing-song voice. “Look at those dreamy eyes. His mind is far away right now.” 

Jim blushed and crossed his arms. “Don't be ridiculous. I'm merely digesting the information she gave me about the two-leg world. Did you know they drive around in motor vehicles with wheels? And they fly around in metal tubes with wings? It's incredible. I want to see one someday.” 

“You haven't seen an airplane before? They fly over the oceans all the time!” Carol said.

“Yes! But so high they're almost specks! I want to see inside one,” Jim said thoughtfully. “Maybe Spock can tell me how they work. Bones didn't seem to like them much. Says they make her sick.” 

Spock and Uhura did assist Jim in his quest for understanding and Bones and Joanna brought along picture books for him to look at once they heard he was really interested. 

Chekov and Scotty were finally allowed to move to the tank and Jim had more friends to chat with. Scotty seemed to share his curiosity with human machines and they talked for a long time about the workings of engines. Chekov was more of a submarine enthusiast and expounded on the Russians long underwater ships that glided silently through the water. 

“I hear there is a nest of American subs up the coast off one of the northern states,” he enthused. “I would love to get a view of one, if only from a distance.”

Over that summer, Jim learned a lot, even how to read human Standard. Spock, Uhura, and Bones were willing teachers and Joanna encouraged him greatly. Soon, however, she had to return to school and Jim to the sea. His new pod needed to ready for migration before the water got too cold. Jim, however, was reluctant to leave. He'd become very attached to Leah and dreaded the day he'd be separated from her.

“You know, Bones, I’d stay here for you,” he said plaintively one August evening at their beachside meeting place. “I can't stand the thought of leaving you now.”

“Aww, Jim,” Leah sighed, “I’ll miss you too, so will Jo. But you have to go. Wouldn't want your pretty pointy ears to freeze, now, or that fancy fin thing.” 

Jim smiled sadly and wiggled his fin, splashing her with the spray. 

“I could stay in the center instead. They made the climate perfect for us,” he suggested.

“You'd go crazy spending the whole winter in that tank,” she reminded him. “Not to mention, they need the room for mers who physically can't migrate. Plus, your new pod needs you. You're their leader.” 

“It should be Pike. He's the elder.” Jim muttered, picking at the remnants of a trout he'd had for lunch. 

“In wisdom and experience, but your youth and energy is vital to their survival out there. You’ll be back next summer. Jo and I aren't gonna up and disappear while you'll gone.” 

“It's such a long time, Bones,” Jim warned sadly. “We don't usually come back until the fourth moon cycle of the new year. A lot can happen in that time.”

“Sure it can, but I’d rather you come back healthy than be miserable cooped up all winter. I'd imagine these migrations keep you fit, as well.” 

She eyed Jim's trim abdominal muscles approvingly, which made the mer grin smugly. 

“Well, since you clearly admire my physique I'll strive to keep it that way,” Jim declared, posing shamelessly like he was a mer model on a pinup calendar. Leah turned pink and chuckled. 

“You rascal. Good thing you don't leave until October. We still have time to teach you how to properly impress the mermaids.”

She winked at him, resulting in Jim's squeaky giggle.

“You trying to get me a mate, Bones?” He questioned. 

“Yep. Who knows what trouble you'll cause the impressionable young human women while you'll here? Better get you safely taken before you leave a swathe of broken hearts behind,” she teased him.

If Bones could have known what Jim was thinking, she would have been even more eager to get him settled down.

_If only I was human. I'd totally find the prettiest shells I could and try to woo her. I've never felt about a mermaid the way I feel for her. Maybe I can bring something nice back from the migration grounds. That's what I'll do._

Comforted by these thoughts, Jim began planning.


	7. Mer bonds and Migration

The last month and a half before Jim’s new pod left was spent in busy planning of what routes they'd take and getting strong for the journey. Pike was finally declared fit to travel and joined the others in their temporary home off the California coast. Jim found the elder’s advice very helpful, as he knew which areas had sufficient hunting and which were Siren territory and off-limits. Between the seven of them, they soon had a route planned out. 

Bones was still trying to convince Jim he needed a mate and touting the virtues of Carol and Gaila, but Jim just smiled and slyly avoided her matchmaking attempts. Eventually, she settled for asking questions about mer bonds. 

“What do the young mermen do to show interest in a prospective mate?” She asked one day. 

“Nothing that much different than human males at first,” Jim said, lounging on his back on the sandy shallow water. “We show off and try to outdo each other in our backflips when we breach the surface, we shine up our tails and try to look extra good. Then, if we're really serious, we start bringing gifts. If the maid accepts the first one, that means she's receptive to our suit. After a year, the families agree on a bonding date and that's that.”

“Do you have any ceremonies or celebrations for it? Humans like to spend ridiculous amounts of credits on day or weekend long wedding parties.” 

“So I heard,” Jim acknowledged. “For Mers, there's only a simple recital of the bonding pledge in front of the elders and immediate clan members, the bond itself is precipitated by the, uh, private time afterwards.” His face grew a bit warm at this, but Bones got the idea.

“A week later, there's a huge party and the whole pod is invited. They feast and tell tales and give gifts, kind of like your reception, only ours happens after the sweetmoon, I think you called it.”

“Honeymoon, Jim,” she corrected him with a smile. “That's a much preferable order of events in my book. A lot of times, couples are so exhausted from the reception, the honeymoon ends up being recovery time, at least the first few days.”

“Ugh,” Jim wrinkled his nose. “There are drawbacks to being human, I see. Did that happen to you when you were bonded?”

“Nope. We had a smaller affair. Couldn't afford to go crazy on the spending for the reception. Now Let me see if I understand this correctly: Merman can't have casual flings because of the bonds? Sounds like that's what you're hinting at.” 

Jim rolled over onto his belly and propped himself on his elbows. Leah kind of wanted to brush the wet sand off his back and push back the damp strands of blonde hair that stuck to his forehead. 

“You're right” he continued. “We mate for life, similar to Spock's people and only with one person at a time. If you cheat on your mate, you can cause bondsickness or even kill your original mate due to suddenly breaking the first bond. Mers who do that usually get expelled from the pod or sentenced to confinement. Bond-breaking is a very serious offense in our culture. It's why there's a mandatory courtship period for prospective pairs so they can get to know each other and decide whether they really want to be with each other for life.”

“Wow, Jim, that's hardcore. Doesn't it get frustrating?” She asked him.

“Not really.” He shrugged. Mermen didn't have quite the same needs human men did until they were bonded. Not that Jim knew what that was like. He had yet to find his future mate. 

He shook himself out of these pessimistic thoughts by imagining Bones’s ex getting thrown in mermaid prison and plotting the imaginary taunts he would hurl at him when she broke in again with another question. 

“Now I’m picturing mermen locked up in some underwater dungeon. What kind of justice system do your people operate with? Are there mer police?”

“Each pod generally polices itself, but for interpod incidents and serious crimes we have magistrates and judges.” 

Jim went on to outline the various groups of mer law enforcement and told of the caves where criminals were held. Leah listened fascinated as Jim told how they often used huge sunken ships for their jails. 

Then Jim asked Leah more questions about earthbound life and shared his dreams about flying if he was a human.

“Don't know why you're so keen on getting on one of those death traps, kid,” she shuddered. “But everyone to his taste, I guess.” 

“Bones,” Jim said slowly as Leah made a move to leave. “Would you be mad if…...I….told you you're prettier than all the mermaids I've met?” 

His heart was pounding as he timidly admitted why her attempts to get him to flirt with mermaids hadn't worked. 

“No,” Bones said slowly, “but I would question your eyesight. There's no comparing me to those stunning beings of your species.”

Jim squeaked in indignation and blabbered his outrage in Mermish before he caught himself.

“Sorry, Bones, but that's just not true. You are very lovely. There's no convincing me otherwise.” 

He smiled cheekily at her and Leah couldn't help but falling a little bit for the adorable Merman. It wasn't smart and kind of hopeless, but Jim had charmed his way into her weary heart nonetheless.

The day the pod was to set off, Joanna insisted on being woken up early (even though it was Saturday) to say goodbye to Jim. April seemed like forever to her and she was trying not to cry as she hugged all the mers and made them promise to come back. 

“Sweet child, don't fret,” Gaila soothed her. “Of course we’ll come back.

“Aye,” put in Scotty. “And I'll bring you back some lovely tropical shells!” 

“Da! We will return when we say,” Chekov added. “Mer people keep their promises.”

Leah, meanwhile, had her arms full of clingy Jim, who'd begged for a hug goodbye. Damp as he was, she still couldn't refuse him and stroked one pointy ear gently. 

“Please stay safe, Jim,” she murmured, rubbing his back. “I don't want the rest of them to come back and tell me you were torn to pieces by a shark again.”

“I'll try, Bones,” he said, enjoying the caresses. “We stay far away from the great whites generally. Take care of yourself. I'll think of you everyday.”

“There's no way I'll forget you either, Jim. Jo and I will be expecting you back next spring.” 

Jim sighed and drew away a bit, producing a colorful object from his hand. 

“I have a present for you,” he said shyly, holding up what proved to be a necklace of brightly colored seaglass, translucent pieces glittered in the sunlight.

“Jim,” Leah gasped. “Did you make this?” 

“With a little help from Scotty,” he said, looking hopeful. “You like it?”

“It's beautiful!” The glass was various shades of blue, green, and clear strung in a lovely repeating pattern. Being tumbled by the sea, no piece was the exact same shape and gave it a beautiful natural look. 

“Thank you, Jim,” she said and gave the Merman a kiss on the cheek. Jim flushed and looked pleased as she put the necklace on and admired it. 

“Ready to go, Jim?” Pike asked, ending his chat with Spock and Uhura. “It's high time we set off.”

“Yeah,” Jim sighed. “I guess it's goodbye for real now, Bones. Goodbye, Miss Jo.”

“Bye, Mr. Jim.” Jo said. “Don't get into any fights, now. Mama won't be there to fix you up.”

“Which is a good reason to avoid them,” he said. “Farewell, Bones, or as we like to say, may the tides be ever in your favor.” 

Jim kissed her hand before he levered himself back into the water and began heading out to sea with his group, colorful tails propelling them. 

She and Joanna stood and waved until the last tail could no longer be seen. Not until they'd turned back to shore did Leah realize something.

“Oh, shoot. I think I just agreed to go steady with a merman.”


	8. Settling down

Jim swam away resolutely, forcing himself not to look back. He was having a hard enough time leaving Bones as it was. It would be the longest migration of his life this time, now that he'd be leaving someone behind. Bones had accepted his gift, though, so that was a good sign she returned his feelings.

Perhaps it was _gritchy_ (crazy) of him to get his hopes up, after all, they were different species, but Jim had heard rumors of mer/human relationships and how certain powerful magic could remove the species barrier, if the bond was strong enough. Jim planned to do some research on the subject over the winter, because he was willing to do whatever it took to be with Bones forever. 

“Jimmy,” Carol asked him, when they'd stopped for the night rest, “I saw you gave Dr. McCoy a gift. Are you trying to court the human?” 

“What if I was?” Jim responded warily, curling himself up in a nest of seaweed. 

“I'd have to warn you as a friend this might hurt you both. She belongs on land and you in the sea. How could a romance work?”

“That's what I'm determined to find out. There's a great sage that lives in our winter home that I am going to consult on the matter. I don't believe in no-win situations, Carol,” he said firmly. 

Carol’s eyes widened and she looked at him closely. 

“By Poseidon! You must really love the human,” she murmured in wonder. 

Jim smiled and shut his eyes. Yes, he was hopelessly in love with Bones. 

Traveling slowly, on account of Pike’s back, the pod took a full moon cycle to reach the warm waters of their winter destination. By that time, South Pacific waters were crawling with mer and there weren't many good caves left. Pike, however, had connections and led them to a small cave he knew of that wasn’t popular due to its size, but would be a perfect base for their small pod. After they'd each staked a claim on a sleeping spot, Pike and Gaila set to cleaning up the place while the rest of the pod went out to purchase hammocks and provisions. 

Rather than using currency, mers simply traded for goods using colorful rocks, seashells, sea glass, or interesting human artifacts. Occasionally, an old shipwreck would provide gold coins which were highly sought after. Pearls were also highly sought after, but most mers preferred to use them only as a last resort, treasuring them as heirlooms. Jim had a conch shell filled with various commodities and he ventured into a Merchant shop for supplies. There were a few mers swimming around inside browsing the goods on the shelves. Tools, lamps, conchs, and bedding supplies were piled up in neat rows waiting for purchase. Jim had been assigned to get hammocks for the pod, so he swam over to investigate the proffered items.

“What can I do for you, young fellow?” Asked the stout shopkeeper. 

“I am in need of five hammocks for my pod members,” Jim said, glad the man didn't recognize him. 

“Only five?” The gentlemer’s eyes twinkled. 

“It's a small pod,” Jim explained. Pike couldn't use one, so he was just buying for the other mers. 

“Right over here, son. We’ve got a fine selection. Just got a new shipment in. They were all sold out from the first wave of migration.”

“Guess it's a good thing we were late, then,” Jim commented, pulling five out from their hooks and taking them to the counter.

He paid for his purchases and was swimming back to the cave when a voice sneered at him.

“Well, if it isn't the bad luck charm. How many plagues have you spread today, Kirk?” 

Jim froze at the sound of his old podmate’s voice. 

“None, actually. Good to see you too, Mitchell.” 

“How in the world did you survive a migration on your own, sea-weed brain?” 

Jim ignored this. He'd learned after one too many fights with Gary that the brunette mer was just a bully, too thick-headed to see reason. 

“I didn't. I've found a new pod,” he said coolly. “We're a bunch of misfits and rejects who decided there was strength in numbers.”

“Ha! That's a good joke!!” Laughed Gary. “I wonder who the poor fools are that you wheedled into going with you. They must be tough souls to survive a month in the presence of bad luck.” 

“Haven't had any so far, because I'm not a curse, you know.” Jim replied tensely.

“Your sire died when you were born. Isn't that indication enough?” 

“No,” Jim replied shortly. “I'm sick of superstitious mer telling me lies. I lived under that my whole life. My new friends aren't the type to believe that stuff.”

“Delusional. I hope they don't pay the price for associating with you.” 

Gary swam off with a disgusted expression and Jim swam back to the cave, carefully avoiding anyone who even looked like they were from his old pod. He especially didn't know what to do if he ran into his mother. 

He returned to his friends in a somber mood, thinking he might never go out of the cave much now. 

Chekov joined him as he neared the entrance, carrying a satchel of odds and ends for the mer’s housekeeping needs. 

“Ah, Jim! I see you return as well! Did you procure your assigned items?”

“Sure did, Pavel,” he answered, mustering good spirits and pulling the end of a hammock out of his bag to show the other merman. 

“We’ll sleep in comfort tonight!” He proclaimed. 

“And I have found a cushion for Mr. Pike as well as lanterns!” Chekov added. 

“Good job!” Jim praised, trying to shake off the encounter with Gary. He missed Bones’s reassuring scoldings and wished the winter would go by very quickly. 

In time, the other mer returned with food (Scotty and Gaila), large shells for use as dishes (Carol), and blankets and a mer medicine kit(Pike). They were pretty well set for their stay and Pike declared they'd all earned a long rest. Jim hung his hammock and collapsed into it, exhausted.


	9. A visit to Archer

Jim wasn't the only one who found the winter to go by far too slowly for liking. Leah McCoy and Joanna were missing their blue-eyed Merman more and more everyday. Jo was crossing off days on the calendar, counting down each one before April. 

“Mom, what do you think Jim's doing right now?” She asked one November evening while toiling through her homework. 

“Probably frolicking in the nice warm tropical oceans, catching fish and playing with his friends.” Leah told her, an envious twinge inside her imagining Jim surrounded by mermaids.

“Do you think he misses us?” Jo asked plaintively. 

“Course he does. He said so himself, don't you remember?”

“Yeah, but what if he stops missing us?” 

Leah had had that thought as well, but then she'd remembered the look in his eyes as he'd said good-bye and the necklace he'd given her and refused to admit the possibility.

“I don't think so, sweetie. Mermen are very loyal to their friends. Spock told me so. He said many of their former patients stop by every year like clockwork to say hi. They don't forget.”

Joanna still looked skeptical, but subsided for the moment. That night, Leah ran her hand over the sea glass necklace, willing Jim to return home in one piece. She had no idea why she’d even entertain the idea of loving a creature that lived in the ocean and probably wasn’t compatible with humans, but it was too late now. 

Meanwhile, Jim was taking a rare trip outside the cave to visit the great sage, Jonathan Archer. He was said to be an expert at Mer/human dynamics and could possibly provide an answer to Jim’s dilemma of what to do about his love for the amazing Dr. McCoy. After his encounter with Gary, he’d avoided going into the main mer population, hanging out in smaller taverns or shops on the edge of town when he wasn’t with his pod. There was no way he wanted to risk meeting up with anyone else in his pod, especially his close relations. 

When he’d told Pike where he was going, the old mer had perked up and put down the scroll he was reading. 

“You mind me tagging along? Archer’s an old pal and I haven’t seen him in a turtle’s age.”

Jim had shrugged and agreed. At least he’d have support if he ran into....certain mers again and he was never averse to Pike’s company. The man seemed to understand him better than he did himself. 

Venturing through many side streets and narrow passages, the two of them at last reached the towering stone building that housed the mer archive and library along with the keeper’s offices. Jim gaped in awe as he had never in his life seen such a large structure. How in the world would he find his way to Archer’s office?

“They’ve got maps all over the place, son,” Pike informed him, “but you won’t need them because I’m pretty sure Jon’s got the same office he did when I last visited a decade ago. He is most definitely a creature of habit and somewhat set in his ways.” 

“Lead the way, then,” Jim offered with a sweeping arm gesture. 

As they swam through the maze of halls, Jim was distracted by the shelves and shelves of scrolls and manuscripts of mer literature and history.

“Wow! This is far more interesting than the Sea Turtle roping contests and drinking games,” Jim said eagerly. He was very fond of study and learning, though he’d had little time to do so during his solitary journeys after leaving his old pod. He followed Pike down a curving stair and down another hall which led to an arched doorway, over which hung a sign proclaiming “J. ARCHER, Chief archivist.” 

At Pike’s knock, a silver-haired mer appeared, looking ink-stained and disheveled.

“How can I help you gentlemers today?” He asked, than his face lit up when he recognized Pike. “Christopher! What a surprise! What brings you all the way down here after such a long absence? Training a young apprentice?”

“He’s already becoming quite the pod leader in his own right,” Pike said, shaking Archer’s hand. “Good to see you again, Jon. This is James Kirk and he has some questions for you.” 

“Pleased to meet you, young man,” Archer said genially. Jim noticed with relief he showed no reaction to the Kirk name. “What do you seek assistance with?”

Jim started and stopped a few times before he blurted out, “I wish to understand if it is possible for a mer to bond with a human or if the relationship is doomed.”

Archer didn’t look fazed at all by Jim’s query, beckoning the two to have a seat in his office.

“Ah, yes, that is not an uncommon question and you may be surprised that no, the relationship is not necessarily doomed, but it requires a deep love and sacrifice. Mere surface lust will not suffice. Yes, mers have bonded with humans. Have you become enamored of a human?” 

“Yes,” Jim said, face turning red. “But I don’t see how we could ever be together.”

“James, there is a way--but very few choose to take it as it requires a drastic lifestyle change and giving up one’s ocean life.”

“I thought it was something like that. How drastic are you talking?” he asked cautiously. 

“If a human/mer emotional bond is strong enough, the mer becomes human in order to allow for the physical bond. Many mers do not handle the change well and end up living shorter lives as a result, much as they love their mates. That is why it is such a serious thing to engage in such a bond. I urge you to spend time in contemplation and careful self-examination before you decide on such a course. Do you love the person enough to give up your mer body and live on land, with a shorter lifespan? Do you have any plans for how you would adjust to human life? Those are the questions only you can answer, my son.”

Pike gave Jim a searching look as the young mer sat processing this information.

“Do you know of any Mers who have turned human and didn’t regret it?” Jim asked after this pause.

“Several, actually, but like I said, it required a strong connection.” 

“Well, I have all winter to think about it. I won’t see her again until we migrate back to California in the Spring,” Jim sighed. “I don’t think it would be that bad being a human, being that most mer think I’m a bad omen. If it wasn’t for Chris, I would still be on my own.”

Archer looked at him sympathetically. “Ah, yes, the supposed Kirk curse. Stuff and nonsense, if you ask me. Kirk men have a self-sacrificial tendency that comes from their high character and deep bond attachment. I’d say if you also have these traits, choosing to become human would not surprise me at all. She must be a very special lady.”

“She is,” Jim smiled, thinking about Bones’s many endearing traits. Pike and Archer spent some time catching up and reminiscing before they left, but Jim was quiet all the way home, thankful that he understood the stakes now, but knowing deep in his heart what he was going to choose.


	10. The Decision

The next two months passed quietly and Jim's pod became quite comfortable in their new home. Jim made several repeat visits to the library and usually returned with plentiful reading material. He was fascinated with mer history, particularly the Great Siren Wars, which had been at their peak during his grandfather and father’s lifetime. He became convinced that his ancestor’s untimely demises had nothing to do with any curse, but were brought about by the difficult times they lived in. Since the Sirens had been defeated when Jim was small, they hadn't dared openly attack the mer again, only picking on lone mers and being obnoxious. 

As January gave way to February and February to March, Jim wrestled with the choice he'd have to make if he wanted to be with Leah and Joanna for good. He had a talk with Pike one night about it.

“You decided what to do about the doc yet, Jim?”

Jim sighed and stirred restlessly in his hammock, putting down the scroll he’d been trying and failing to concentrate on. He kept seeing those pretty hazel eyes looking at him with amusement and yet, he’d only just formed a mer community. What was a merman to do?

“Almost. I love her and Jo so much and if I had legs I could live with them and learn to fly a plane, but I’d feel like I was deserting you all after we just got together.” 

“Jim, you know none of us will consider you choosing to be with your mate desertion. I’ve seen how happy you were with her. If you decide to bond with Leah, we’ll be very happy for you. Sure, we’ll miss you, but you know where to find us if you want to visit. You won’t have to migrate anymore once you’re human, either, so no long separations from her and Joanna.” 

Jim thought about that. It would be nice to not have to deal with Sirens and Migration anymore, plus he knew deep down he had already formed the beginning of an emotional bond with Bones and another long separation might affect them both negatively. 

“If you’re really okay with it, Chris, I think there’s only one way to go. I won’t go into this blind, thanks to Archer, but she’s definitely worth it.” His blue eyes got a far off look in them as he thought again of his favorite humans and Pike gave a half smile that said he understood. 

March seemed like a very long month to Jim, who was now counting down the days to their departure, but he found plenty to do to help the time pass. Often, he’d go out to mer plays and musicals with his pod and started mingling more with other pods as he grew less tense around strangers. Scotty and Jim were on their way to the seahorse races when Jim ran into the very last person he ever expected to see again-- his mother. 

“Excuse me, Ma’am, my apologies,” he said politely, picking up the satchel that the mermaid had dropped when they brushed up against one another. But when he handed it back to her, she gasped suddenly. 

“By the gods! James? How came you here alive?”

Jim turned pale and Scotty stared.

“Hello, Mother,” he said weakly. “I came here with my new pod. They’re my family now.”

“Really!” she said skeptically. “How good of them. Do they not know of the curse?”

“Yes, they do,” Jim said coolly. “And they don’t care two plankton about it and I haven’t brought disaster on them because of my last name, either. Isn’t that right, Scotty?”

“The truth,” Scotty confirmed. “Jim’s a fine lad. He Survived a nasty attack by Sirens last year and we all met in the San Francisco Sea Rehab Center. Decided to join forces and become a pod. We don’t hold to old superstitions here.”

Winona Kirk looked like she was torn between pain and joy. She looked longingly at Jim, many expressions crossing her face before she pulled her composure back together.

“Well, you certainly have filled out into a grown man since I last saw you. You look more and more like your father. I thought I saw a ghost for a second.” 

There was an awkward pause and Jim broke it by saying a touch bitterly. “I’ve been dealing with his ghost all my life, thanks to people who made us all out to be harbingers of doom. You’d better leave before my bad luck contaminates you.”

Strangely though, Winona didn’t go. In fact, she reached out a hand and placed it on Jim’s shoulder. 

“Jim, you have to know I never agreed with the decision to force you out of the pod. They overruled me.” 

“You sure didn’t try to keep in touch, though.” Jim reminded her. “I had NO ONE until I met Pike, Scotty, Gaila, Carol, and Chekov. Pardon me if I’m skeptical.”

He swam away, but she called after him, “Could I visit you in San Francisco sometime? So I can explain myself and meet your pod?”

Jim hesitated. He wanted to tell her to go away and never come near him again, but at the same time, she was still his mother. He’d give her one last chance. 

“I guess, if you really want.” He said nonchalantly, not at all expecting her to go through with it. “I’ve gotta go. C’mon, Scotty.”  
The two mers continued on their way to the race, Jim looking decidedly less cheerful than he had before.

At long last, the time came to pack up and make preparations for the return to San Francisco. Jim was excited to leave, but surprisingly, he found his energy levels much lower than they were when they’d left. There was also a nagging ache in his limbs that he just couldn’t explain. Pike started watching him more closely than ever when Jim didn’t laugh and joke with the others, or even complain they were going too slowly. Something was off with his young friend, and he had a feeling he knew what it was--something no Mer medic could cure. 

Jim, on the other hand, wondered if he was getting a horrible disease and falling prey to the Kirk “curse” after all. 

 

“Mommy! It’s April tomorrow! You think JIm will be back?” Joanna asked excitedly the last day of March.

“Probably not, honey,” Leah smiled as she tucked her daughter in bed. “You’ve got to give them time to travel. I think It will be a couple more weeks yet.” 

Joanna’s sigh was immense. 

“So long. I hope he has lots of interesting stories to tell.”

Leah smiled. “Oh, he will. Kid can talk the hind end off a donkey.”


	11. Bondsickness

Leah’s phone rang one April evening as she was getting off shift. Jim was expected back any day now and she hoped it was Spock calling to give her the news his pod had returned. He did have news, but it wasn't all good.

“Doctor, Jim and his pod have returned this afternoon.”

“That's great, Spock. Are they hanging out at the center?”

“All but Jim. We had to admit him because of his poor health. He was too weak to swim on his own by the time they arrived.”

Dread filled Leah at Spock’s words. 

“What happened? He was perfectly healthy when they left.”

“It would appear that his attachment to you was deeper than anyone suspected. We believe he has bondsickness.”

“That's not possible!” Leah denied. “We didn't do anything that would have caused a bond to form!” 

The kiss on the cheek certainly didn't count, did it?

“Perhaps not physically. But in this case the emotional bond was enough.” 

“What can I do?” She whispered anxiously, kicking herself for putting Jim’s life in danger. 

“Your presence would be most helpful as soon as possible. Jim requires proximity to you in order to recover.” 

“I’ll be right over. Tell him to hold on.” 

Leah abruptly ended the call and picked up Joanna, briefly explaining the situation on the way to the Rehab Center. Jo was quite distressed and silent the rest of the trip. Parking as close as possible, Leah and Jo ran together toward the facility, anxious to save the merman.

Jim was lying on the cot, looking dreadfully thin and ill. Even his tail had lost it’s shimmer and he looked almost fragile. Uhura and Spock were monitoring him carefully and there was an IV in his arm. 

“Jim, Darlin’, we’re here,” she said, kneeling beside his cot and feeling his less than optimal pulse. Blue eyes looked up at her and Jim smiled brightly, if weakly. 

“Bones, I came back just like I told you I would. Hey, Jo, good to see you again.” Jim sounded tired, but it was so good to see him again, Leah leaned over to embrace him. 

“I hear tell you were pining after me, kid,” she told him, placing a kiss on his shoulder. “What’s that all about?” 

“It’s because I loved you more than I realized, Bones. We’ve formed a bond, it seems. I didn’t know bondsickness was possible this way, but evidently it can happen.”

“How can we make you feel better, Mr. Jim?” Joanna asked worriedly. “You’re not allowed to die!”

“Well, lots of visits from you will help, but the total cure is something I need to have a grown-up talk with your mom about.” 

“Oh,” sad Joanna. “That probably means you hafta kiss all yucky and stuff.” Her nose wrinkled up.

Leah choked back a startled laugh and even Jim grinned again.

“Smart girl,” Jim said affectionately. “I promise I’ll have lots of cool stories to tell you when I’m better, but do you mind if Ms. Uhura takes you to see the rest of my pod for a little bit? They’re hanging out by the tank.” 

Joanna thought about this and nodded. “Alright. Mommy, please make Jim better.” She shot Leah a pleading look and the doctor hoped her “cure” worked. 

Turning back to Jim after Joanna had departed with Nyota, she squeezed his hand and settled her head over his heart. 

“Darlin’, I’ve missed you so much. What do we do to make this work?”

“I found out that I can become human if our bond’s strong enough. Then I wouldn’t have to leave you and Jo anymore.”

“But Jim, that’s a drastic change. Do you really want to do that? I don’t want to make you unhappy. Most creatures don’t do well taken out of their natural environment.”

Jim was already feeling better from her nearness and kissed her head. “It’s much easier to get used to a change when you’re with the one you love. You’re my bondmate, Bones. Becoming a two-leg is far less harmful to me then being apart from you. I love you.”

“Can’t argue with that logic. But what happens to change you?” 

“It could be gradually, or it could happen all at once. The sage said a kiss on the lips would probably start the process.”

Jim looked hopeful, but Leah had to put him off. 

“I sure plan on kissing you, gorgeous, but you’re still way too weak to handle the change yet. When you’re a little stronger, I’ll show you how southern women kiss.”

Jim shivered in delight at the promising tone in her voice. 

 

“Okay, Bones, I’ll be looking forward to it.”


	12. He's Human Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can either end this here, or write an epilogue of Jim and Leah's life together. This has been a lot of fun to write.

Jim, having Leah just a call away and being very motivated to recover, began to get some strength back in the next few days. It was slow going, considering how alarmingly he’d deteriorated with the bondsickness, but at last both Leah and Spock were satisfied that he was strong enough to handle a possible body change. In the meantime, Jo had been flitting back and forth between Jim’s bed and his friends in the tank, peppering them with questions and listening wide-eyed to tales of their ocean adventures. 

“Did you know Mr. Scotty once found a pile of treasure in a shipwreck? And Miss Gaila weaves pretty baskets out of seagrass? Or that Mr. Pike got stuck in a giant clamshell?” She’d reported to her mother after visits with her mer friends. “It took three strong mermen with crowbars to pry it open so he could be free!” 

Leah was greatly amused by these anecdotes, but kept her focus on Jim.

After much discussion and being examined by both Spock and Leah, Jim was pronounced ready to stand a possible change. Bright and early on a Saturday morning, Leah headed back to see Jim, heart pounding with anticipation.

The merman’s eyes lit up and he swished his aqua tail happily as she approached and sat beside him. She'd made sure there was plenty of medical help on standby in case Jim had problems. 

“Hey, Jim. You're looking perky for someone who'd organs are about to get rearranged. You're sure you want to go through with it?”

 

Jim squeezed her hand reassuring her. “Yes, I'm sure, Bones. It's going to be worth it and I know you'll fix me if anything goes wrong.”

“Alright, Jim. Let's see what this does.”

Jim was eagerly accepting of her kiss and wrapped his warm arm around her as her lips found his. He'd never kissed anyone before and it was quite a new and exhilarating experience for the formerly lonely Merman. 

Just as they'd broke apart to breathe, Jim’s eyes widened and he felt a weird tingling in his tail. 

“I think it's happening, Bones,” he gasped out. “Look!” 

He held up his hand, and the webbing between his fingers disappeared as he spoke. “Tell me if it hurts too much, and I'll get something for ya, Jim,” Leah said nervously.

They watched as Jim’s blue tail split and became two long legs. His gills disappeared, leaving his bare chest smooth, and his ears became round human ones. Jim was too fascinated by his transformation to really notice the discomfort it caused him, but Leah could feel his hand tighten on hers. 

It was over in less than five minutes and Leah breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Well, let me say, you do make a fine human, Jimmy,” she said lightly. Jim was staring at his lap and pondering the placement of some of his new body parts with a puzzled expression that made Leah force down a chuckle and go get him something to cover up with. 

“Why thank you, Bones. I'm glad you still think so.” Jim said, allowing her to fit him into a pair of swim trunks. It was awkward, with him not really knowing how to use his legs yet, but eventually, he was made decent. 

“I guess I have to wear clothes now,” he said, in a slightly disgruntled tone that finished Leah’s composure and she laughed until she cried. 

“Oh, Jim. You're a riot! But I love you, darlin’. Yes, unfortunately you will have to wear clothes now. But you'll look just as cute as ever.”

Jim, after some hesitation, sheepishly laughed at himself. 

“There's a lot of things I'll have to learn, Bones. The human world is very different from the mers.” 

“We’ll help you figure it out, Jim,” she said reassuringly. “In the meantime, I'm going to scan you and make sure you're all arranged properly.” 

The tricorder showed that Jim Kirk was a fully functioning, healthy, human male and nothing was out of place. Satisfied, she set it down and messaged Spock that everything was okay.

“You're fit as a fiddle, Jimmy,” she told the new human, who was experimenting with wiggling his toes. He was now sitting up sideways on the cot and his legs were spread out on the pavement in front of him. 

“Spock is going to come help you stand up and walk. You might be wobbly at first, so we’ll give you a prop until you get the hang of it.”

“Okay, but I want another kiss first. I liked that.”

Leah did not mind obliging him. 

 

Jim's pod greeted him warmly when he walked down to the beach as a human for the first time. Gaila whistled at him and Scotty and Carol cheered. 

“Nice legs, Jimmy!” Gaila called out, causing Chekov to titter and Carol to laugh. 

“Thank you,” Jim said, prancing a bit to show them off. He wobbled and nearly fell over before Leah grabbed his arm. 

“Hold on there, Bambi. They’re not all the way steady yet,” she ordered playfully. 

From the edge of the water, Pike laughed.

“Glad to see you came through it all right, son. I'll think you'll do just fine in the human world.”

“I hope so,” Jim said. “I wouldn't want to make things harder for Bones. She's got enough on her plate already.” 

Leah smiled and wrapped her arm around Jim.

“If I can deal with a seven year old, I can handle a wiggly adult human. Jim’s a pretty special guy.”

“That he is,” the wise Mer said, with an acknowledging flip of his steel gray tailfin. “I wish you a long and happy life together.” 

“Aye!” Scotty added. “May your bond remain strong and true.” 

They talked with the pod until sundown, and Jim said goodbyes to his friends, promising to visit often. Leah guided him to her car, and explained human transportation to him on the way to her house, stopping to pick up Joanna from the sitter on the way. Jo was extremely excited to see Jim in his new form and chatted away to him happily.

“Did it hurt, Jim, changing to a human?” she asked. 

“A little, but not nearly as much as I thought. It helped to have your mother there. I was so distracted by her amazing presence, I hardly noticed the pain.”

Jim winked at Leah, and she blushed furiously. Joanna giggled. 

“You really like mommy, don’t you, Jim?” she said.

“You bet I do.” Jim answered, smiling at Leah again. He couldn’t wait to learn how to be her human.


	13. Happy Ever After

Jim found life as a human rather challenging to adjust to in some ways. For one thing, he wasn't used to the bright light and had to wear special sunglasses everywhere until his eyes adjusted. Also, he found life above ground much louder than the ocean and was easily startled by barking dogs and sirens and traffic noises. For about a week, he didn't leave Leah's house at all as he became more accustomed to the sensations of human life and his new legs. 

Leah had one of her colleagues talk to Jim and explain things to him. It was one thing to explain the birds and bees to a patient, quite another to someone she was very much in love with. (Not that Jim was ignorant of the facts of life, but he'd never fully bonded mer style or human). Dr. M'Benga was quite willing to come over to talk to Jim, being quite interested in the species change phenomenon. He too, fell under Jim's spell and was soon quite comfortable with the former mer. 

Jim was already incredibly well educated in the mer style, but needed help learning to read and write Standard. He and Joanna spent a lot of time. together as she'd let him borrow her books to practice with. 

“Bones,” Jim said one day, “I feel I should start contributing something now that I've been living with you for awhile. I'm used to humans enough to find an occupation among them, I think.” 

He was very thoughtful looking and earnest as he spoke, holding a paper upon which he'd been making calculations. 

“Oh, Jimmy, you know I don't consider you to be a burden at all, but if you're up for employment, go for it.”

Jim ended up getting hired by Spock to help at the center and it was a great fit for him--he helped feed and visit with the often frightened patients and assured them these humans meant them no harm. He turned out to be invaluable as an assistant and Nyota told Leah Jim made their jobs ten times easier and they didn't have to use the sedative nearly as often because he did such a good job of calming the mers. 

For Christmas, Leah took Jim to Georgia with her to meet her parents. She hated flying with a passion, but Jim's childlike excitement over being on a plane for the first time was enough to keep her distracted enough to not get queasy. 

“We’re in the clouds, Bones!” He exclaimed. “It's even more amazing than I thought!” 

“Glad you like it, darlin’.” She said fondly. “You'll probably be doing it a lot in the future, I'm guessing.” 

“You think I could be a pilot, Bones?” Jim asked.

“Course you could, Jim. It takes time and training and practice, but knowing you, you'll do fine.”   
Even though it kind of terrifies me. 

Leah's parents were somewhat skeptical of Jim being a fit mate for their daughter, but once they got to know him, they saw what Leah saw in him. 

Jim found his favorite part was making cookies with Bones and Joanna and Eleanor and stealing kisses under the mistletoe. He began to dream of marrying Bones, completing their bond and becoming a family and when Leah’s dad asked him what his intentions were he said so. 

“I'm going to marry her, sir.” He told the older Dr. McCoy. “I love her very much.”

“Good to hear that, but do you understand what that means? My ex son in law sure didn't.”

“In the mer culture, we take the marriage bond very seriously and violators are severely punished. Meeting Bones changed my life and there's no way I could hurt her or Joanna like that.” 

The doctor nodded and his eyes softened. 

“I hope you'll be happy. Jo clearly loves you and won't stop talking about mermaids now. Leah looks more relaxed than I've seen her in months. It's obvious she adores you. It's funny, she swore she wouldn't lay eyes on another man after what he did to her and here you are.” 

After another two years (or migration cycles), Jim made good on his intentions when he married Leah McCoy on a beautiful spring afternoon. They held the ceremony on the beach very near where he had first washed up and where a good crowd of merfolk could witness the happy event. Jim's pod was there, watching with glee as their friends spoke their vows to each other, as Leah’s family and close friends observed from the sand. 

Clad casually in tan shorts and white button down, Jim’s heart was full as he stood opposite his bride, whom he thought was perfectly beautiful in a simple white knee-length dress and the sea-glass necklace he'd given her when he'd started the courtship. What made his eyes brim over was the surprise ending to her vows when she spoke the mer bonding pledge--in his language. 

“Forever together, in body and spirit, until the oceans vanish and the earth fades.” 

There were sniffles from the merpeople and Jim's eyes blurred as he was touched by the unexpected addition. Leah must have learned it from Pike or Uhura because they'd never gone over that in their few lessons and the pronunciation was flawless. 

He blinked way the tears long enough to do the ring exchange and soon enough he had Bones in his arms, kissing her as husband and wife. He heard Joanna give an excited whoop and Scotty whistle, but he was focused on his new wife and the strange emotions that were flooding him. 

“Hey, Jim. You alright, darlin?” She asked. 

“Yeah,” he said shakily, wiping the moisture off his cheeks. “I'm just really happy to be married to you.” 

“Awwww, honey,”she said gently, hugging him tightly. “It's pretty wonderful, isn't it. I love you.” 

“Love you too,” he murmured in reply and soon there was an excited Joanna chattering her delight and demanding hugs from both of them. 

“You're now my step-daddy for real!!” She proclaimed, with her arms around Jim. 

“Sure am, sport,” Jim laughed, swinging her around and elegantly returning her to the beach. 

“Aren't you glad you gave in and took me Merman watching that day, Mommy?” She asked Leah. 

“I sure am, sweetheart,” she confirmed, smiling at Jim again. He was now as much at home on two legs as he'd been with a tail and gills and had even started to take classes to learn to fly a plane. Much as it scared her, she thought Jim would make a good pilot. 

Jim grabbed her hand and they strolled to the water’s edge to accept the congratulations of the mer guests.

“Such a lovely couple!” Sniffed Carol tearfully. 

“I'm very happy for you son,” Pike said, with a firm handshake. “That was a fine ceremony and I wish you all the happiness.” 

“Aye!” Scotty put in. “You two’ll have a long life together, I believe.” 

Spock and Uhura also came up after they'd chatted with the McCoy side. The Vulcan was as pleased as he could be (that is, he actually smiled at them) and predicted their bond would be a most felicitous one. 

Uhura hugged them both and laughingly teased Leah. 

“Well, you said you'd avoid men, but I guess that didn't include the mers, huh?”

“You know what they say about there being plenty of fish in the sea!” Leah winked at her husband and he grinned and leaned in to steal a kiss. 

Oh, yes, very nice “fish” indeed.


End file.
